


A Proper Family Christmas

by roo2010



Series: Forever and Always [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Actor Tom Hiddleston, Christmas Fluff, Dad Tom Hiddleston, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Tom Hiddleston Is A Sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:27:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28219206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roo2010/pseuds/roo2010
Summary: Between Betrayal ending and Loki starting Tom, Jackie and their family celebrate a 'proper' Christmas for the first time
Relationships: Tom Hiddleston/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Forever and Always [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1361038
Comments: 8
Kudos: 8





	1. Christmas Preparations Pt 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friends, I know I haven't finished Betrayal yet but the timing for this is just too good and I think we could all do with something sweet at this time this year. I hope to post a chapter a day this week leading to Friday *fingers crossed* I wish you all Seasons Greetings and let's all hope that 2021 is better than the year we have just had.

It seemed strange to be celebrating the twin’s first ‘proper’ Christmas when they were already two and a bit, but that was exactly why we were doing it. Their very first Christmas they were just under four months old and totally not aware of what was going on, and really not much more into it twelve months later, though definitely more mobile. This Christmas however we had a reasonable break between Betrayal ending and travelling back to America for the Loki series. Tom and I had decided that we would spend the first month of filming together as a family and then Delenn, William, and I would return home in time for the twins to start at a local nursery school. Hindsight being twenty/twenty vision I am so, so pleased that we organised it as we did!

As our London home was still being rented out until just before Delenn, William and I returned for good we decided that, in a break with recent tradition, we would invite all available to our Wiltshire home and see how many we could squeeze in. There wouldn’t be an awful lot of privacy but we made sure when we bought the old place that there would be enough room for guests too and rooms had been furnished accordingly, even if one of the beds was a pull out in Tom’s study. As it turned out the extras were really only three, Emma, Diana and James, thought we were expecting a houseful most days over the Christmas period as guests came to visit for a day. Our local pub also did Bed and Breakfast so if anyone wanted to stay over; with a bit of forward planning, it was totally doable. To have all our friends around us in my favourite part of the world was all I could ask for and I was looking forward to it immensely. Tom and I spent many happy moments planning for a real family Christmas and ensuring we didn’t forget anything. We also decided that this would be the year we introduced the children to Father Christmas, and the Hiddleston tradition of new pyjamas Christmas Eve not forgetting the obligatory snack for the man in red and the reindeer of course. I managed to find a pair of stitchable stockings that complimented the ones I’d bought for our first Christmas together, and proceeded to decorate them when the twins were in bed. It would be lovely to be back in the UK and in the village in particular, I’d missed it more than I thought I would when we were in America so to be able to spend an extended amount of time would be wonderful.

We also decided, rather rashly to hold an ‘open house’ on the Saturday before Christmas, and basically have a daylong party. The catering would be easy finger foods, maybe I’d get time to even cook some myself as opposed to buying everything pre made, especially if they could be frozen and defrosted the day before. It did also mean that Lizzie’s friends, who hadn’t seen her in a while, could have a good old catch up. I was impressed that she’d managed to stay in contact with them to be honest. Friendships at that age sometimes seemed so fleeting but I hoped that the girls who’d elected not to go to BIMM would pop by to say ‘Hello’

Getting back to Wiltshire mid-way through the second week of December gave us a scant two weeks to prepare for the Festive Season. Luckily we’d planned ahead, as I was wont to do, and used the opportunities afforded to us by being in New York to make sure that at least some of our closest friends and family would get gifts that couldn’t be found on an English High Street. The other ‘must do’ activity was taking the children to see Father Christmas. We were very lucky in this regard as close enough to the village to be an easy car ride away was Longleat Safari Park. Not only did it boast the world’s first drive through Safari Park outside of Africa but also it had a miniature train track which was used in the close season to provide a Santa’s Grotto experience. I’d seriously thought ahead for this as tickets went on sale in June and were generally sold out by the end of July! I’d purchased tickets on the off chance that this trip would be possible, confident that I would be able to sell the tickets back if it wasn’t possible to attend. Tom was completely up for it of course, it wasn’t our first trip to Longleat or the train but it would be the twin’s first experience of either. And then there was the amusement factor of watching 6’ 2” Tom scrunch himself into the small carriage, whilst still leaving room for us.

We’d laid the seeds for this trip back in New York when the Christmas stuff started appearing in the shops, explaining to William and Delenn who the man in red was and what he did. They were predictably excited and wanted to see him straight away but Tom and I wanted them to wait obviously. We made sure to reinforce the being good aspect and all the other things that are associated with Father Christmas. The twins were far too young for letter writing but Tom and I had sat down with them and explained that they should try and think of one present that they would really like this year so that they could tell Fr Christmas in person when they saw him. With Tom’s enthusiasm for Christmas, and Lizzie adding hers it worked really well and come the day of the trip both William and Delenn had settled on the one thing they would ask for.

I’d deliberately booked a trip that would take place in the dark as we wanted to keep the surprise of what else there was on offer for another day so as the time arrived to leave for Longleat we all bundled up warm for the trip. Tom drove as always and it wasn’t long before we were pulling up in the car park and heading towards the little train station. The excitement in the air was palpable as we joined the crowds waiting for the next departure. Longleat were really good at this, they only ran one train at once but the organisation was such that the changeover between incoming and outgoing passengers was generally managed without a hitch. We were lucky on this trip as the train selected to pull the coaches was the miniature steam one and, as it pulled into the station _all_ my children were practically vibrating with excitement, even Lizzie, and I realised that my memories of Sean and I bringing Lizzie here were about to be added to, not overwritten. I’d honestly thought I’d never get to see Christmas through the eyes of a child again but I had been blessed the day I fell into Tom’s life and now that we had a family of our own I was determined that he’d get as many of these important memories too.

The passengers disembarking from the train had just come from ‘North Pole Halt’ and all the children were clutching their gifts from Santa tightly. They all looked a good size and I remembered from previous times that the presents were always good quality and well matched to the age of the recipient. As the last of the passengers cleared the platform the entry gate was opened and it was our turn to board. I’d decided it was better for Tom to be first in and last out so that he only had himself to worry about when getting his long limbs arranged as comfortably as possible in the small carriage. The train was a good size for most normal people but being that little bit taller was sometimes a disadvantage. Once Daddy was in our little ones were quick to follow, unfortunately there wasn’t quite enough room for three fully grown adults and two excited children so Lizzie, with good grace, found a seat in the next small compartment. No interior windows meant we could still talk though and William and Delenn kept up their constant chatter as we waited for the train to fill. Once we were all aboard the little steam engine tooted its whistle and we started to pull away. The adults on the train must have been gripped with the magic of Christmas too as we all waved madly at the Station Master and Ticket Controller who of course being used to this waved back.


	2. A 'North Pole' Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All aboard for a very special train ride.

Because it was dark we couldn’t see any of the animals normally in view but what was evident was the way the little railway had been ‘dressed’ for the patrons. Little fairy grottos had been set up with model houses and scenes, all lit with flickering candles supplemented with real fairy lights. It was really magical and Tom’s eyes were nearly as big as the twins as he took it all in.

“They really know what they’re doing, don’t they?” he murmured to me at one point.

“They do.” I agreed “There’s a reason it’s generally sold out by the end of July!”

Tom just nodded as the train sounded its whistle again to warn about the upcoming tunnel on the route. The noise increased as we entered and I started to anticipate how the family would react to what I knew was coming next.

As we exited the tunnel we were flanked on the left hand side by a line of huge conifer trees whose branches had been festooned tastefully with large coloured light bulbs. The twins gasped to see so many pretty colours and then shouted with awe when they saw the huge fire basket full of burning logs. It did three things really, added light and atmosphere without being artificial; gave families a place to dispose of their rubbish; and gave out warmth to those who were lucky enough to see Fr. Christmas first and then had to wait for the rest of us. The route we had to walk was well marked with more coloured light bulbs and flickering tiki candles, the path was well maintained though still rustic, hard packed gravel as opposed to cement or tarmac and as we wandered along the shortish walk we rounded a bend which had effectively hidden Santa’s Workshop from view whilst we were on the train. Delenn and William were besides themselves and when they saw the pair of real live reindeer in a stable next to the workshop Tom and I were dragged over to see them, Lizzie electing to keep our place in the queue, not minding in the slightest. We weren’t the only family so distracted though and it says a lot for the indulgence of parents that behaviour that wouldn’t be tolerated anywhere else was smiled upon kindly in this tiny corner of Wiltshire.

“Is that Rudolph Daddy?” Delenn asked excitedly

“No Sweetpea” Tom said, scanning the name plaques quickly and chuckling. “Uncle Thor would like them though, these reindeer are Donner and Blitzen!”

I laughed too then. “Yep. Uncle Thor would like them very much!” I agreed. Even though they were still young the twins knew that Daddy had a job that involved playing dress up and travelling away sometimes to do that, and with filming for the Loki series imminent they also knew Daddy dressed up as Loki as part of his job. They’d seen pictures of Hems and Daddy together in costume and without and, with children’s logic, Hems had immediately became ‘Uncle Thor and the Hemsworth children had called Tom ‘Uncle Loki in return, the names had stuck, though neither man seemed to mind very much at all.

“But why would Uncle Thor like them?” William asked.

“Well Munchkin, Uncle Thor plays the God of Thunder, right?”

The twins nodded, we’d explained this to them the first time they got scared by a thunder storm, blaming the actual God Thor instead of Hems because, when it came to simple stuff, Tom and I were basically nerds.

“Well these reindeer and called Thunder and Lightning in another language, because not everyone speaks English, do they?” Tom continued.

“No Daddy.” The twins chorused. Our local town had thriving communities from various European countries and it wasn’t unusual to hear foreign languages spoken on the street or in local shops and the twins knew that what they heard was something they didn’t recognise as words they should be able to understand, even as they were getting to grips with English

The line to see Fr Christmas had been getting shorter whilst we admired the reindeer so we headed back to Lizzie who was told about Uncle Thor’s reindeer, much to her amusement. It wasn’t long before we were at the head of the queue and the friendly ‘elf’ bent down to ask the twin’s names, and if they wanted to see Fr. Christmas together? They obviously hadn’t given that any thought as they immediately looked to us for an answer.

“Together please.” Tom said quickly, before I had a chance to open my mouth. He loved this, I could tell. Every ‘first’ that he could be there for, he was, savouring the precious moments and memories we were making. The ‘elf’ nodded her assent and quickly whispered the information to another ‘elf’ just inside the door.

“You can come in now Delenn and William.” Said the second ‘elf’ kindly.

Both twins reached back for one of our hands as they took hesitant steps towards the centre of the room, eyes darting everywhere to take in the wondrous sight. There was a large fireplace as a focal point with a fire cracking merrily in the grate, the mantelpiece and chimney breast covered in cards and letters. To one side was a large Christmas tree, beautifully decorated with a pile of presents under it. In fact every horizontal flat surface had piles of brightly wrapped parcels on them to give the impression that all was normal for this time of year at ‘North Pole Halt’ with Fr Christmas gearing up for his longest night of the year. Talking of the jolly man himself, he was sitting in an old looking wing back chair, wearing his traditional red suit of course and what looked like a naturally growing white bushy beard, and as we approached he smiled broadly at us all, Lizzie included, because she wasn’t going to miss this, even though she was a _little_ old to be getting a present! In fact, as we’d entered, I’d caught out of the corner of my eye one of the ‘elves’ having a quick word with my oldest daughter but dismissed it as someone probably asking if that really was Tom Hiddleston over there?

Little hands gripped tighter as we got closer but both children kept moving forwards until they were right in front of the armchair. The inside ‘elf’ handed Fr. Christmas a parcel, he looked down at it briefly and then said with a kindly smile,

“Hello again Delenn.”

She honest to goodness squeaked!

“You don’t remember me, do you?” Fr Christmas continued and Delenn shook her head.

“I remember you though; you’ve grown a lot since last year. You’ll be nearly as big as Lizzie soon!”

At this Delenn giggled and looked towards her big sister. Now I understood what the whispered conversation had been about.

“I haven’t got anything for you here for you yet Lizzie” Santa continued, not missing a beat “I like to have the younger children sorted first, you understand?”

“Yes, Fr Christmas” answered Lizzie, getting into the spirit of the occasion completely. Fr Christmas then turned his attention back to Delenn.

“Now Delenn, have you decided what you’d like me to get you for Christmas? He asked kindly.

“Yes” my overawed daughter answered quietly “a dolly and pushchair please?”

“I think that can be arranged.” Fr Christmas answered with a conspiratorial wink in our direction which I answered with a nod. The doll request we were aware of, the pushchair was new though I was confident it could be sorted in time.

“Here is a little something to keep you going until the big day.” he continued, handing Delenn the gift on his lap.

To my great relief there was a polite if quiet “Tank u” as she clutched it tightly to her chest. William had seen the interaction and so, having at least an inkling of what to expect next was not so subtly edging forward, unluckily for him his Daddy had long arms and managed to stop the advance as his present was given to the man in red.

“Hello William, you’ve grown too I see.” Fr Christmas said. William nodded excitedly. “So what do you want me to bring you for Christmas young man?”

“A train please.” William answered hesitantly. Fr Christmas glanced over Will’s head at us and it was Tom who nodded this time. We’d seen a wooden railway system that would grow with him and hopefully bring hours of joy.

We were aware that the twins were in danger of being spoilt this year but as we doing a ‘first proper Christmas’ we didn’t mind too much. Both the twin’s main presents were modular so lots of small gifts combined to make a brilliant experience.

William was handed his gift and then our Precious Beans were addressed jointly.

“Now” began Fr Christmas “You will be good from now won’t you?” both twins nodded solemnly. “And you will leave me a little snack?” he added, rubbing his tummy for effect. “I get very hungry going round the world in just one night so have to keep eating!” the nods were a lot more enthusiastic this time; snacks were something both children could get behind. Tom then asked if Fr Christmas would mind having a photo, to which he of course obliged and with Lizzie standing next to him, Delenn on one knee and William perched on the other one our personal memento was taken.

Visit over we were ushered gently out of a side door to next the next family in. we walked along a cinder path and came out by the big fire basket down by the train. William and Delenn wanted to see what they’d been gifted of course especially when they saw other children doing the same so we helped them unwrap their gifts. Delenn had been given well-made chunky wooden puzzles with pictures of a sea scene, farm, and safari park (which was obviously highly appropriate.) And William was now the proud owner of a peg stacking set that purported to help him learn colours, counting and aid his fine motor skills. All he knew was that it looked colourful and fun.

We stayed around the fire, keeping warm as we waited for the last families to enjoy their visit to Santa’s cabin. It hadn’t changed much in the years I hadn’t been and it was so nice to add new memories to existing ones. When we were all back on the train there was one last surprise. Fr Christmas came down the path to wave us off himself. We waved back of course; again the adults were almost more enthusiastic than the children for some reason. Arriving back at Longleat Station it was obvious how seamless the operation was as we were directed towards the next trainload of passengers patiently waited their turn.

When we got back to the car Tom and I helped Delenn and William into their car seats and persuaded them to let us put the presents in the boot. They had had a lovely time and it showed in their rosy cheeks and happy smiles. They chattered happily with Lizzie and us on the long journey up the drive of the country house but they tailed off as we hit the public roads. Twisting in my seat I saw that they had both fallen asleep, they looked so cute all bundled up and cosy in the car and I saw Tom glance in the rear view mirror to see them too.

“That was a lovely evening Darling, thank you for organising it.” He said softly.

“It was my absolute pleasure Love. Do you think we have started a new tradition?”

“Oh I think so.” He said happily “I’m looking forward to next year already. The children loved it though, and the presents seemed really good too.”

“They always were” I replied “you pay a bit extra but it is so worth it. Thing is, did you enjoy it too?”

“I really did” he said “it was truly magical.” Coming from a man whose job was making ‘magic’ for a living that was high praise indeed.


	3. Christmas Preparations Pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The build up to the big day continues

Tom actually had nothing on whilst we were back and I took full advantage of that to do lots of running around unencumbered by pushchairs and toddlers. He, for his part, seemed to thoroughly enjoy playing with the twins and more than once that week I returned from a trip to find the kitchen under a layer of soap suds as Daddy introduced Delenn and William to some good clean fun. I remembered Lizzie was just the same, happily occupied by a sink full of bubbles and some cooking utensils when she was that age. It always took a little while to clean up, and our washing up liquid consumption is best not mentioned but it also meant that I rarely came home to an upset or fractious family so I counted it as a win.

Amazingly we were actually ready on time for the main festivities to start. The Christmas tree had gone up with much excitement the weekend after we’d gotten home. The honour of putting the star on the top, as always, fell to me with Tom’s help of course but this year the twins also had their own special decoration to hang as close to the top as they could manage and they squealed with delight as they were lifted high enough to do their job, and they got the excitement of switching on the lights too. To see their faces literally light up with pleasure as the very large tree twinkled I the lights that chased themselves along the strings was very magical indeed. The rest of the downstairs rooms were all given the Christmas treatment, fairy lights and garlands in every room, even the kitchen had mistletoe on the doorway, though we made sure to keep it well away from the food. The twins were also allows fairy lights and hanging ceiling decorations, nothing they could grab of course but enough to give their room a festive flavour. The whole house looked welcoming after we’d done and I hoped that many happy memories would be formed in the next few days.

We’d even managed to hid all the presents we’d been given; the house was shaped like a flat bottomed ‘U’ with our bedrooms on one side of the ‘U’ and the guest bedrooms on the other. It was easy enough to store the presents in one of the cupboards built into the eaves of the house where the twins were not allowed to go, which was perfect. It was actually the room we’d assigned to James but we know he wouldn’t mind the small disturbance our storage place would cause. In fact James, Diana, and Emma were able to stay for the whole of Christmas and New Year, meaning that our traditional New Year’s Barn Dance could happen again this year. We’d missed the last two due to the twins being so young, and I was fairly sure that they wouldn’t be awake at midnight for this one either but the additional adults would make it completely feasible for us all to go and have a nice time.

The week before Christmas was the usual mix of utterly calm and unbelievable hectic. I was really glad of the extra hands staying over as we seemed to have guests every other day and as they were mainly travelling form London as so wanted a full day with us they had all arranged to arrive fairly early and leave fairly late! I have to admit I was quite in my element though, with lists to follow and people to organise it felt great. The Cumberbatch’s came for a whole day of course and Sophie and I managed to keep all four youngsters occupied whilst their fathers did the all-important present swap. I tried to keep the food festive and easy, there was no way we’d all fit around the dining room table, as big as it was eight adults and four children in high chairs or booster seats just wouldn’t go so I compromised and did a hot buffet so people could just help themselves making sure there was enough food for the children too. It worked so well I did the same two days later when the Hemsworth’s descended on us, invited of course. India still adored Lizzie and being how they were both so much older now it was easier to entertain her, they rather sweetly let Delenn tag along as well. William, Sasha and Tristan indulged in a boisterous game in the garden. It was one of those wonderful winter days, cold, clear, crisp and invigorating and it wasn’t long before the boys were joined by the menfolk, and they all enjoyed a vigorous game of hide and seek, crossed with tag, crossed with something that only Tom and Chris seemed to know the rules to so I guessed it was something they used to get up to whilst filming, all the while watched by us women, safe in the warm with a cup of something hot! When none of the boys could feel their noses anymore we called them in for hot chocolate, luckily I had bought mini marshmallows so everyone was happy. The buffet went down very well again, thank goodness and I hoped that we had possibly found a new tradition to add to our burgeoning Christmas. Louise and Steve were next, and all of their children, the older ones having come back from whichever University they were attending. Their children being around the same age as Lizzie made things a little trickier keeping Delenn and William occupied but we managed and had a very convivial evening.

Christmas Eve found us all completely excited, the children knew from the year before that this night was special but they hadn’t really grasped the full concept yet. However that little fact wasn’t going to stop them from enjoying the day as much as they could. We managed to keep a lid on things until mid-afternoon by simply not mentioning the day but inevitably someone let it slip and before we knew it we were in full Festive mode. Following on from the Hiddleston tradition I’d bought everyone new nightwear and we decided that we’d have an earlyish tea so that the twins could have a nice bubble bath and a bedtime story and, hopefully, settle down to sleep whilst it was still a reasonable time, giving us adults a little while to relax before we did ‘Christmas’ Accordingly just before we put Delenn and William to bed for the night we sat them down as decided what snack we should leave for father Christmas. William’s favourite drink was orange juice and he insisted that that was what Father Christmas would prefer too. Delenn had known for a while that she liked mince pies, and especially ‘Mummy ones’ which meant homemade as opposed to shop bought. One of the first bits of baking I’d done when we got to the cottage was a huge number of those seasonal snacks and they quickly became a firm favourite. So finally, on a special plate that Emma had bought for the occasion there was a glass of orange juice, a few mince pies and some carrots and apples for the reindeer as the twins couldn’t decide what Rudolph would prefer! When it was all arranged to their satisfaction Tom and I took them to bed after I gathered their stocking from the pile under the tree, personally having always preferred stocking in the bedroom for waking up, rather than downstairs by whatever might pass for a fireplace. Everyone staying that night would have a stocking of some description to tie in with our tradition and William and Delenn happily put theirs on the end of their respective beds and crawled under the covers. They then demanded a story and to my great delight Tom proceeded to recite ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ as only he could and by the time he’d finished, different voices and all I was looking forward to Father Christmas coming too! Eventually with a reminder that if they didn’t settle down and sleep they wouldn’t be getting a visit from the man in red we kissed them both goodnight and left them alone.

Both Tom and I had the sappiest grins on our faces as we headed back downstairs to the rest of our family. So far it was going just as we wanted. We’d done variations of this last year but the twins’ hadn’t grasped the significance of the little rituals and hadn’t seemed impressed by the sudden appearance of a huge pile of brightly coloured packages. This year, however, we were hoping for the full Christmas experience, we’d convinced all the other adults that nothing was to go under the tree before the children went to bed and that pyjamas were perfectly acceptable breakfast attire and they’d happily entered in to the spirit of the exercise. We gave the twins a solid hour to finally fall into a deep sleep and then Tom and Lizzie, both designated as the stealthiest, by the rest of us crept upstairs to fill their stockings. I had debated about taking them out and filling them on the landing but ultimately decided that one trip stood less chance of disturbing their slumbers than two. The rest of us went to the various bedrooms that presents had been hidden in to retrieve them, from the amount of trips up and down the stairs, even with our ‘Santas’ helping after completing their mission it was clear that no one should be disappointed with their gifts. Then there was just the snack to deal with of course, Tom took the orange juice, leaving a small amount in the glass, Lizzie pounced on the mince pies, Emma made a dent in the carrots, literally, her tooth marks were quite impressive and I munched a few bits of apple for effect. James and Diana sat back and watched us, remembering no doubt when they got up to the same sort of shenanigans for Sarah, Tom and Emma when they were all little too. in fact it was apparent that the closer we got to midnight the more excited we were all getting which was, I suppose, the product of having lots of happy Christmases ourselves and wanting to relive or pass on those wonderful feelings. Finally, after a last check on the turkey which was put in the oven and the timer set for O-silly O’clock in the morning we all headed to bed ourselves.

“I do hope it all goes well tomorrow.” I said worriedly to Tom as we got ready for bed.

“How can it not?” he said soothingly “We have you organising for us.”

I smiled weakly at him “Thank you for the vote of confidence Love, but there are still so many things that can go wrong.”

“You worry too much sometimes.” My darling husband said pulling me into a hug and rubbing a large hand up and down my back. “Everything will be fine, you’ll see. And if it’s not perfect no one will care as long as we are all together at Christmas.”

He had a point, he always did when it came to this sort of thing but I still wasn’t convinced and Tom could see that.

“Come here.” He said softly getting into bed quickly and holding the covers up invitingly for me to snuggle next to him. I got in and sighed as the duvet wrapped me in an embrace nearly as warm as the arms that snaked round me. “Now try and get some sleep Darling” he continued kissing the top of my head for good measure “because who knows what time our holy terrors will be up and clamouring to go downstairs?”

I twisted in his arms so that I was facing him and kissed him tenderly “Goodnight Love. Merry Christmas” I slurred sleepily as I shut my eyes.

Tom chuckled “You sound adorable Darling, Goodnight and Merry Christmas to you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you'd think I might have learnt to count by the time I reached my half century but apparently not, hence the chapter count change


	4. Christmas Day!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Big Day, no more explanation needed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was intending to post this yesterday but actually ran out of energy. Reading it before posting I'm glad I didn't now as it is so much more appropriate for today :-) The last chapter will be posted on New Years Eve.  
> I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families Happy Holidays. I love the friends I have made on here and knowing that there are people in other countries enjoying what I write gives me a warm feeling every time I check my hit count.   
> Just remember, no matter what the pandemic brings us in 2021; it will also bring us the Loki series which I am really looking forward to.  
> Anyway, enough rambling from me have a lovely chapter as a Christmas pressie

It felt like only five minutes later when the bedroom door opened with a rush and our peace, and sleep was shattered by two very excited bundles clutching their stocking as if they were the most precious things in the world. The only words I could make out clearly were ‘Mummy” “Daddy” and “Santa’s been!” on repeat. Their already wide eyes opened wider when they saw our stockings too and I resisted the urge to see what the time was. We were awake and that’s all there was to it. It took a bit of wrangling to get all four of us in the bed, the twins had decided the easiest was to simply crawl under the quilt from the bottom of the bed and their giggles as Tom and I ticked them with our feet as they passed made the rude awakening so worthwhile. We were soon joined by Lizzie who had obviously heard the commotion and knew exactly what had happened. She too had her stocking and I was glad that a) we had a king-sized bed (though Lizzie did content herself with perching on the edge) and b) I’d bought a rubbish bag to bed with me the night before as the bed was soon strewn with scraps of paper as the twins delved into the depths to see what Santa had given them. There were only a few small toys and squidgy things to play with as well as the obligatory bag of chocolate coins; sadly no longer from my favourite chocolate manufacturer as ironically the year I’d introduced Tom to the family stocking tradition was the last year they made them. Delenn and William were very excited by now of course but a quick glance at the clock showed that it was, as I’d suspected, a little too early to actually start our day. Somehow Tom persuaded them to put everything back in their stockings and lie down and shut their eyes, within a couple of minutes they were both asleep again and we breathed a sigh of relief, packing away our own stocking presents very carefully so as not to disturb the tiny tornadoes in our bed as we both knew that once they were awake again we were all up for the day. Lizzie mooched back to her bedroom, grateful no doubt for a bit more sleep. The twins adored every minute they got to spend with her and as she was still studying hard at BIMM it wasn’t often enough for their liking. She had the use of the flat on London and preferred staying there in term-time as it was more central and closer to her friends. Holidays were still exclusively for family though.

Tom and I gently settled down in bed again, not to sleep as such but just to doze and when the time was more respectable we woke the twins up. Tom fired a quick text to Lizzie asking her to be downstairs ready with a camera to capture their reactions. She was in position perfectly to capture the look of wonder as we all padded onto the living room and they took in the much changed scene from the night before. The space under the tree that had been completely clear when they went to bed was now overflowing with a myriad of brightly coloured parcels of all shapes and sizes. Tom and I led Delenn and William to the side table where the snack for Father Christmas had been left and could tell they were overjoyed to see the debris left behind, there were only dregs of orange juice left, a half- eaten mince pie graced the special plate it had shared with two others, and the bowl of apple and carrot pieces had been decimated.

“Looks like Father Christmas enjoyed his snack.” Tom chuckled, winking at me as he spoke; we all knew who was responsible for what of course but the twins had no idea.

“Well Mummy does make the best mince pies.” Said Delenn seriously, as William nodded his agreement to my culinary prowess.

“Indeed she does” replied Tom, equally seriously “but we will have to wait until much later before we can have one. It’s breakfast first and however good Mummy’s mince pies are they are not suitable for breakfast!”

The twins’ pouts at his pronouncement were adorable, but they knew better than to protest. Protesting would only lead to no mince pies all day for them!

I led the way into our large family kitchen, grateful that we had such wonderful facilities. The timer on the oven had worked beautifully and the delectable aroma of roasting turkey assailed our nostrils as we entered the room. James and Diana were already up and busy getting the breakfast bits assembled, working together as they must have done so often. Being in a strange kitchen not putting them off at all, they had both stayed in the ‘cottage’ often enough to know their way around. We had a simple breakfast of cereals and toast, with tea, coffee or fruit juice as appropriate. With such a lovely lunch in the works there was no need for a bigger meal at the start of the day and I also didn’t fancy all the washing up! Dishwasher or no Christmas Day was always a busy day for soapy water in the sink.

Once everyone had finished eating, it was my turn to ‘lay down the law’ as it were, as lovely as our new pyjamas were we were not staying in them all day so I insisted everyone went and got dressed. The adults of course went happily but I saw Tom join the twin’s in a longing look through the open door of the living room at the small mountain of goodies waiting to be revealed as he herded them back upstairs to get changed. All our clothes were Christmas themed of course but not matching. Tom dressed William in a pair of cute pull up jeans and a T-shirt that proudly proclaimed him to be Daddy’s little helper with a Christmas elf’s head as the picture. Delenn, on the other hand, had insisted she wanted to be a Christmas fairy so I had bought, and adapted a fairy costume for the day, complete with fake holly crown. My youngest daughter was delighted when she saw herself in the mirror and when I produced a wand with a Christmas tree on top instead of the usual star she started bouncing around the room with pure joy! I did manage to get her to sit quietly whilst I got dressed in my favourite Christmas colours, a long red straight skirt, green jumper and all gold accessories. I did have to giggle when I saw what my beloved man-child was wearing though. I’d known from our very first Christmas together that this was Tom’s favourite time of the year and that he was wont to be a little more ‘relaxed’ in his couture than normal but even I was amazed by the jumper he was wearing. From somewhere he’d gotten his hands on a brown knitted jumper complete with embroidered antlers and ears to resemble a reindeer and, as if any more clues were needed, it possessed a red flashing nose! Delenn and William’s excited cries of “Rudolph, Rudolph” every time they saw the flashing nose were enough to ensure that, for as long as the battery lasted, this jumper would get an outing every Christmas for the foreseeable future.

When everybody had reconvened in the living room we were ready to open presents. Tom was nearly as excited as the children by this point so it fell to me, as usual, to ensure that notes were taken of who’d given what so that ‘thank you ‘ notes could be sent. It was something Tom and I both felt strongly about and we were quite prepared to sit with the twins and a pen to see who could make the neatest ‘kiss’ under their name. When I was prepared we let the mayhem begin. It wasn’t too difficult to keep abreast of the gift givers as Delenn and William both had willing helpers for their present unveiling, their grandparents, aunt and big sister all taking turns, so much so that Tom and I were nearly surplus to requirements, and only weren’t because the twins insisted on showing us everything they’d been given, though it did give us a chance just to enjoy the moment, more precious memories being forged as we watched the most important people in our lives interact so beautifully. Tom also made sure I got to open my presents along with everyone else by simply handing me the odd one to open. It was a lovely time for our little family and, luckily for my nerves, everyone was excited and enthusiastic about their gifts. All the detritus was soon cleared away too, courtesy of the adults with ‘help’ from the twins and Diana and I adjourned to the kitchen to get the dinner fully underway.

Thanks to having two ovens the turkey could still be cooking whilst the veg were roasting so that it wouldn’t have to spend hours out of the oven when we needed the space. I’d made the happy discovery a couple of years earlier that my mum’s recipe for nutmeg and bacon cabbage worked equally well with Brussel sprouts and even Tom would eat them now which was an accomplishment in itself, as it had turned out he was less keen on sprouts than he was for cabbage! The other adults were very good at popping into the kitchen to see if there was anything they could do to help, even if it was just put the kettle on for a brew. Delenn and William seemed content to pick a couple of toys each and play with them. We’d actually bought them a joint present of a very large modular self-assembly dolls house which Daddy and Grandad were coerced into building much to the merriment of Emma and Lizzie. The doll’s house had been advertised as unisex and came with a range of extra rooms and accessories, giving great opportunities for gift ideas for people who had no clue what to get them, it was even possible to get decorating kits to paper the walls! We had worried that they might be a little young yet, but our fears seemed unfounded as Delenn played with the car and William had one of the toy horses galloping around the ‘paddock’. When Emma had seen the twins playing so beautifully together she insisted on spelling me in the kitchen so that I could enjoy my offspring’s antics too.

I did duck back ito the kitchen again as the time came that all the food would be ready to ensure we didn’t forget anything. The story of the tray of roast potatoes that managed to stay in the oven one Sunday when we were hosting Louise, Steve, and their children was never far from either Tom’s or my memory on occasions like this. His because he’d bring it up, as a gentle tease if I forgot anything and mine because I was determined not to give him the chance. He still delighted in embarrassing me after all this time, just to see me blush really; he claimed it was his favourite look on me! Once the food was on serving plates it was taken to the dining room which Lizzie had specially decorated for the day, even down to learning how to fold green starched linen napkins to look like Christmas trees. No one had seen the finished effect yet so the sounds of delight as the door was opened were totally genuine. Lizzie vehemently disliked the traditional red, gold, and green of Christmas so, apart from the napkins, none of those colours were in sight. Instead we were treated to a beautiful combination of white, pale blue, teal magenta, and pale pink. There were twinkling lights around the French doors that led to the garden, and along the front edge of the large sideboard that we put the dishes on when they were finished with. Lizzie had done place names too and although the twins couldn’t read at all yet they could recognise the beginning letter of their own name so they had little trouble finding their places though Delenn did hesitate between her name and Diana’s. She’d also made sure that each child had an adult either side of them to help them with their food. As far as I was concerned today was definitely not a day for tantrums and accordingly I had let everyone know that the twins were allowed to eat whatever they wanted from the food offered at the main meal of the day. Following the example set by the adults surrounding them both our tiny terrors made good choices and had a decent dinner. We hadn’t bothered with starters, knowing the twins had inherited Tom’s sweet tooth so pudding was more important to all of them. I flambéed the pudding as usual and was gratified to hear the tiny gasps of amazement from the littlest at the table as they say the pale blue flames of the brandy burning. They were content with a warm mince pie and a small bit of ice cream though, the pudding being far too rich for them.

Once we were all full, and Tom had made liqueur coffees, though I had mine sans alcohol as usual it was all big hands to help clear everything away. When that was done we all returned to the living room to carry out another tradition of watching The Queens Speech and then the film afterwards. Even the twins were quiet and we cosied up on the family sofa to enjoy Finding Dory with the rest of our family spread around the other comfy seats. When the film was over they soon went back to playing with their new toys and it wasn’t long really before we joined them on the floor. The new toys kept them going long after their normal bed time and, for once, we didn’t enforce their usual routine, though I did decide it was late enough when William was practically falling asleep sitting and leaning against his Daddy who somehow hadn’t noticed! It was very tired siblings that fell into bed that night having had the most enjoyable day. For my part I was just relieved everything had gone so well.


	5. Short Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very short piece, as promised because it is New Years Eve.

With James, Diana, and Emma staying for the whole festive season it was a rather large party of Hiddlestons that descended on the Annual Village Darn Dance that New Year’s Eve, Tom was at the stage now where he remembered most of the steps from one year to the next, which was impressive when you consider everything else he had to learn and remember as well. We had the usual brilliant time and Tom kept up his tradition of dancing as many dances as possible, so much so that we hardly sat down all night and he was a very popular draw in the circle dances again too.

The twins had fallen asleep by midnight which wasn’t surprising and it was two very floppy little bundles we secured into their double buggy for the short walk home, our ‘cottage’ being less than a five minute walk from the venue, and in no time at all we were all inside and settled again. It had indeed been the Christmas and New Year Tom and I had wanted, the twins seemed to have grasped the concept of Father Christmas finally and we’d had a brilliant New Year. 2020 was looking busy but productive and very exciting with filming of the highly anticipated Loki series due to start early on though it wouldn’t be ready for transmission until somewhen in 2021.

Fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short but it didn't feel right to tag it on to last week. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your support this year. 2020 has been horrendous, and I am saying that having been lucky enough to work all through, notwithstanding this week which has seen me in bed the last three days with what is hopefully a cold ;-( (Covid test taken though just in case) Let's hope 2021 brings us a better year, and not just because of the Loki series. I love you all


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